CORE: Early Phase Clinical Research Support (EPCRS) PROJECT SUMMARY The DLDCC Early Phase Clinical Research Support program supports innovative institutional investigator- initiated feasibility and Phase I clinical trials as well as enabling activities for early phase cancer clinical trials developed by DLDCC members such as generation of preliminary data and regulatory support for approvals. Applications from investigators with studies that are eligible for EPCRS funding, are evaluated by the Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee (PRMC) committee based on programmatic and scientific priorities. Over the past 5 years, we have supported 14 studies and anticipate the need for this support to continue to increase. Criteria for support include innovation and the presence of correlative science studies performed in collaboration with DLDCC basic or translational scientists or that utilized DLDCC shared resources. The progress of funded projects is reviewed by the Associate Directors for Clinical Research and the Clinical Research Leadership Committee and metrics used for evaluation include progress and accrual of the supported study, subsequent peer-reviewed funding, publications and presentations at national meetings, progression to extension studies and subsequent Phase II and III trials and increasing DLDCC accrual to high priority diseases. EPCRS projects have produced 4 publications with additional manuscripts submitted or in preparation and have been leveraged to obtain 7 new peer-reviewed grants and 2 foundation grants. In the last 5 years the total investment by the DLDCC in EPCRS of $216,000 has been leveraged to slightly over $4 million in subsequent support.